A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has described as unhealthy for the fair political chances of the South, the alleged entrance of former President Goodluck Jonathan into the APC ahead of the party’s presidential primary rescheduled for June 2023.
Eze recalled that it was Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi while addressing Journalists at the State House, who first described the efforts to conscript Dr Goodluck Jonathan into the APC as one of the wonders of the century. According to this Seer, " if former President Goodluck Jonathan joins the All Progressives Congress (APC), it would be a development worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records. it would be difficult for the ruling party to campaign with the former president as its candidate.
This enigmatic and fearless leader went further to state, “The reason is that if you go and see the campaign programmes of APC and you now ask President Jonathan to come and run, I don’t know what will be our campaign promises and what will be the stories we’ll be telling Nigerians. I believe strongly that he was not aware of the forms assumed to have been purchased for him and I want to believe those people are mischievous and may have bought the forms to embarrass him."
In a statement made available to media houses in Port Harcourt, Chief Eze said with the waiver granted to Jonathan by the leadership of APC to contest the party’s Presidential primaries and coupled with some underhand schemes to hand him the ticket, the former President qualifies for recognition and induction into the Guinness Book of Records as one of the wonders of this century as postulated by Governor Umahi.
Now that this is clear with the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, the State capital of Bayelsa, the home state of the former President, giving him a nod to go ahead, Eze pointed out some of the consequences of the move.
From findings, it is the calculation of some Northern Leaders behind this devious plot is to take over power as early as possible after seeing the impossibility of presenting a Northerner to fly the flag of the party in the 2023 general elections. According to the calculation, Dr Jonathan is expected to govern for only one term of four years then power will move back to the North in retaliation for what Dr Jonathan in cohorts with some Southern leaders did to them by refusing to allow a Northerner to take over from former late President Yaradua.
But far from it. The above is not the calculation of those behind Jonathan's candidature.
Though I am aware that Jonathan is not willing to contest for the APC presidential ticket against long-time members like Bola Tinubu, Ahmad Lawan, Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi and others unless he is assured of emerging as the consensus candidate of the party and from what is going on viz the ceaseless postponement of both the screening of candidates and conduct of the Presidential Primaries, there seems to be an iota of truth in the alleged pursuit of some persons to pave way for the former President to emerge as the Flag-Bearer of the party.
The fact remains that Jonathan is a neophyte in the APC with no structure in the party and no delegate of his own and there is no way he could be contesting openly against Chibuike Amaechi, Bola Tinubu, Yemi Osinbajo and others who have gone round the states to solicit delegate’s support, as that will be setting himself up for defeat if he does that.
Eze exposes that the strongest consideration for Jonathan's candidature is the potential four-year one-term limit of another Jonathan's presidency. But the trap is that post-election litigation over the 2017 constitutional amendment on “swearing-in”, could disqualify Jonathan and hand the position over to his running mate who could be one of the current serving Governors from the North if he wins their retiring power back to the North.
This is the trap that Jonathan is setting himself up against the eight-year rule of his people in the South and it is indeed unfortunate. “I wish him luck if this is what he wants to achieve for himself.”
“I share the fear of Governor Umahi and wish to state further, what will be our manifesto or selling point for a man most APC Leaders collectively disgraced out of office based on his obvious incompetence and high level of corruption associated with his administration.”
Eze further highlighted that apart from all these faulty calculations with the emergence of a great strategist and deadly political tacticians like Atiku Abubakar as the PDP Flag-Bearer fielding a person like Dr Jonathan as APC Flag-Bearer to the detriment of the founding fathers of the party and those who have continued to sustain and water the party till now will be indirectly gifting to Atiku and PDP the Presidency on a platter of gold thereby achieving the purpose of retaining the Presidency in the North.
Besides, those behind this unholy move coupled with all the macabre dance going on notwithstanding may be jealous of the International stature that Jonathan may have acquired since handing over power peacefully to APC to ridicule him and bring him to a State of a common man.
Eze maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari I know will never allow this high-level conspiracy against those who have stood by him during his trying period in politics to see the light of the day no matter the odds.
SHOULD THIS HAPPEN THOUGH UNLIKELY TOO, Eze said he sympathizes with the former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, who may have been dead since 2015 by sacrificing his life to ensure the success of the party on two occasions and whose punishment is endless in the hands of his brothers for doing everything to make the party a huge success.
My heart goes to Engr. Umahi told his Igbo brothers that in APC lies their hope.
I sincerely sympathize with Bola Tinubu, Ogbonnaya Onu, Chris Ngige, Okoroacha, Lai Mohammed and some of us who did everything to discredit the administration of Dr Jonathan and now we find in him the Saviour of our country. What a country and what a crop of leaders? Most of Jonathan’s Minsters that stole our common patrimony with impunity are still in exile.
Praying for healing on the land, Eze prayed to God to grant the leaders the elusive wisdom for them to do the right thing.”
